


Rough hands can be gentle too

by dreamsheartstory



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4411580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsheartstory/pseuds/dreamsheartstory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raven hates asking for help, but after a long day at work she needs someone she trusts to help her work out the kinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rough hands can be gentle too

Raven sighed.

Her leg ached. Her back ached. She had been curled around wires and welding equipment all day, which before had been tiring enough. Now? Now it was a test of will. Wick had been on her all day to take a break, which only made her less likely to take a break. At least she was done.

She stretched, her joints popped, her back shifted, but not enough. The brace Wick had made her worked; she could walk again, but it was heavy and stiff. The longer she spent working the more strained her muscles became. Her lower back was in a state of constant spasm because of her uneven gate.

The last thing Raven wanted to do was ask someone for help, but if she didn’t find someone to help release the tension soon she might snap, literally. The list of people she trusted was short, the list of people she wanted to deal with after a long day, even shorter. And she hated asking for help.

Clarke walked passed where Raven was standing, waiting for a spasm to pass before she attempted to walk back to her tent. She called after her, “Princess!” then started walking again, not waiting for Clarke to turn around but knowing she would. She always did.

It was strange, being friends with the girl that Finn had cheated on her with, but the longer they worked together the more she found herself liking the other girl. Clarke jogged to catch up. She was bright and still smiling this late in the day. On good days she was like sunshine. Those days were rare. Raven pushed at the niggling thought that maybe it was more than her annoyance at the pain and the long day that was making her heart pound.

“What is it?”

Raven almost bailed into her tent. Maybe she could pass out before morning if she was lucky. Lying there might be less painful than asking. If Clarke said no, she didn’t want to think about the alternatives.

“Can you-”

“What is it?”

“It’s just…”

“Is it the brace? Do you need me to get Wick?” Clarke put a hand on Raven’s shoulder.

“No!” Raven snapped. Clarke wasn’t letting her finish and this was hard enough as it was. She grabbed the other girl’s hand and pulled her into her tent. “You’re the only one I trust to do this.”

“Do what?”

Raven gritted her teeth, “I need you to help me with my PT. My back is killing me and everything… everything hurts.” She looked at the floor, hating how vulnerable asking for help made her feel.

“Lay back,” Clarke said gently, indicating the raised bed she had helped Raven build. It was easier than getting on and off the floor.

Raven complied. Clarke fell to her knees in front of her, making quick work of the straps that held the brace in place. Her hands were light and gentle as she removed it, being careful not to aggravate the injured soft tissue. Raven winced anyway with each small movement.

“You should have told someone you were in pain. We could have found you something else to work on today.” Clarke lifted Raven’s leg, taking it’s weight as she started to manipulate the limb. She hooked Raven’s calf over her shoulder and leaned forward, bending the limb at the hip.

“Then who would work on the rocket science?”

“Point taken. This would be easier if,” Clarke fumbled for words. “If you didn’t have pants on.” She blushed.

“It’s hot in here anyway,” Raven joked. 

Clarke stood, taking off her shoes. When she looked up Raven had already pulled off her shirt and was arching her back as she lay down to pull off her pants. A trickle of sweat rolled down Clarke’s spine. She pulled off her shirt and was working on the button of her pants when Raven’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s hot, and I’m going to have to get on top of you.”

“Point taken.”

Clarke helped Raven roll onto her stomach. She crawled onto the bed, straddling Raven. Sitting on the back of her legs so she could start work on the small of her back. “Is this okay?”

Raven nodded, hiding her face in the crook of her elbow. She didn’t want Clarke to see her reaction to having the other girl on top of her.

Starting with the knots in her sacrum Clarke moved her way across Raven’s back until she had massaged every muscle. Each knot she worked out with excruciating care. Sometimes they were terrible and she could hear Raven holding back whimpers of pain. Her fingers traced over the soft skin of Raven’s back, willing out tension and bad energy. She kept coming back to the small of her back. It was there, the knots around the scar tissue near her spine, that made Raven cry out the loudest.

Raven sighed into the bed sheets. Clarke’s hands gave her a much needed release. With each release though came agonizing minutes as she coaxed the muscles out of their tense state. The weight on her legs where Clarke sat was comforting, if a bit hot, but the last thing she wanted to do was ask the other girl to move or worse, stop. Clarke’s knuckle dug into a particularly stubborn knot and a sound somewhere between a whimper and a moan pushed past her lips. She felt a shift of weight and Clarke pressed her lips to the spot. The kiss was so light Raven thought she imagined it. Fingertips lightly brushed over her back and the weight on her legs lifted.

With gentle hands Clarke rolled Raven onto her back. First she worked with her good leg, moving it in its socket, bending, stretching. Raven watched her. Clarke’s face was intent focused. When their eyes met a small blush crept across her cheeks. Pressed together as they were in the heat there was little left to question between them.

Clarke’s fingers dug into the tender muscles of her hip. Raven was acutely aware of where her hands were, how they moved from her outer thigh, to ass, to inner thigh and back. Clarke stared intently at her work. She picked up Raven’s injured leg as she had in the beginning, cradling it as she manipulated the joints. She massaged the knee and kneaded the calf muscle before hooking Raven’s leg over her shoulder.

She pushed forward. Raven watched her, suddenly unable to breath. Clarke’s hands had been running over her for more than an hour now. Firm when they needed to be and soft at the same time. Her mind flicked back to the kiss on the small of her back. Clarke was pressed against her, hands on either side of her ribs, midsection pressed against the apex of her thighs. She was intent on moving the thigh in the socket, seemingly oblivious.

Raven reached out and caught Clarke’s chin with a finger, tipping it up so their eyes met.

“Clarke?”

Clarke looked down their bodies and back up at Raven. Her voice was unsteady, “I was just-”

Raven raised an eyebrow.

“Helping you.” She swallowed visibly. 

Gently she set Raven’s leg back down on the bed, but she didn’t move out from between her legs or make an effort to get up. Their bodies still pressed together, damp with the humid heat of the tent. Raven pressed up on her forearms so her face was inches from the other girl’s. Her eyes searched Clarke’s face for any hint of indecision.

“Then I should thank you.”

The kiss was a soft press of lips, it didn’t demand or beg, it was sweet and unhurried. Raven pulled back and lay on the bed a small satisfied smile on her lips.

“Raven, I-”

“Thank you.”

Clarke extracted herself from between Raven’s legs and lay down beside her. She pressed her lips against her shoulder. Her fingertips ghosted along Raven’s side.

“Princess?” Raven wanted to tease Clarke for being shy and embarrassed. That much was clear. They hadn’t exactly had the best start to their friendship. Raven had never really expected to get over what Finn had done… but Clarke had stood stalwartly by her even as Raven had pushed her away. She turned to lay on her side, facing Clarke.

“Raven, I-” Clarke’s voice faltered and she tilted her head, pressing her lips hard against Raven’s, her body saying what she couldn’t yet with words. She pulled back, “Is your back, your leg… are they better?”

“Yes.” Raven stretched, and her back popped, releasing a bit more tension. She sighed contentedly, “See?”

“We should do this more often then.”

“Point taken.” Raven laughed. Clarke grinned and kissed her again.


End file.
